Cam Reddish Trade Grades

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Trade season is officially here! Since the Bol Bol to Detroit Pistons trade never went though, we just saw our second deal this season, one month before the trade deadline. The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks agreed to a deal that sent Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill and a 2025 2nd round pick (Via. Brooklyn) to the Knicks. Kevin Knox and a 2022 1st round pick (Via. Charlotte) to the Hawks.

The Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks rumors were heating up in the past couple weeks when it became clear that the Hawks were looking to deal Cam, and it finally came to fruition. Here are the trade grades for each team in this deal:

New York Knicks: A-

I love this deal for the Knicks. That organization is in an interesting, purgatory spot where they are trying to win, but need to acquire more high-end, long-term talent around RJ Barrett. Cam Reddish has struggled with consistency and efficiency (career 38.5% from the field) throughout his career, but he is young and has undeniable upside. At 6’8”, Reddish has length, quickness, and fluidity an incredible smooth handle and shot. That combination of athleticism and skill has given him real star upside as a shot making wing. Those flashes came together on a national stage when Reddish scored 21 points with six threes against the Bucks in the postseason. He is also a very good defender right now! Reddish has an opportunity to be the long-term solution at the small forward position next to RJ Barrett. Yes, dealing a first round pick is never easy, but that Hornets pick appears to be a mid-first rounder at best this season. The odds of finding someone with the upside Reddish has is very low. There is a possibility that Reddish never maximizes his upside, which he hasn’t so far, that is why this isn’t a slam dunk trade. It’s still a good one, nonetheless.

Atlanta Hawks: C+\TBD

I was hoping to have a more definitive draft grade after sleeping on this instead of instantly reacting, but I still don’t. I’m not in love with moving a talent like Cam Reddish when the Hawks still don’t have a second option on that roster. With Reddish being gone, I don’t see one player who has that upside either, including John Collins. But it was clear that the Hawks did not want to keep Resdish on the roster long-term, so the organization’s faith in him was minimal. Kevin Knox is a throw in, but getting a first round pick in exchange for Reddish is reasonable, considering they wanted to deal him. If they keep the draft pick, I would not be a huge fan of this deal, though. On the other hand, if that Hornets pick becomes a sweetener in a bigger deal- a Ben Simmons caliber deal- then this trade is a win, because it leads to a larger move they need to make. The final grade of this trade will depend on if this move leads or doesn’t lead to a bigger deal.